


A Whiskey type of Conversation

by Hallownight89



Series: Reconciliation adventures [7]
Category: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn
Genre: Apologies, Best Friends, Boys Will Be Boys, Clearing the air, F/M, Men Talking, Other, friends - Freeform, whiskey drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:08:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28855593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hallownight89/pseuds/Hallownight89
Summary: A chat between Anthony and Simon. Both apologising and admitting their bearish behaviour.Can their bury the hatchet for Daphne?
Relationships: Anthony Bridgerton & Simon Basset, Daphne Bridgerton/Simon Basset
Series: Reconciliation adventures [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108202
Comments: 22
Kudos: 158





	A Whiskey type of Conversation

Simon was sat alone in his study, Daphne was out with her mother and the 4 younger Bridgerton children and Simon had some estate management business to attend with so had left Benedict and Anthony to their own devises that morning.

It was nearing noon as Simon had pressed his fingers to his temples groaning at the sheer amount of ledgers he had gone through that morning. He was pleased with the lie of the land and how things were working out after the disaster that had been 6 months prior but it was still damned hard work to put right most of the mess his blasted father had made.

He had always assumed, that his father had cared more for the estate than anything else but having gone over the ledgers left by the former steward and his father… Simon wasn’t entirely sure what the blazes his father had been doing. Thanks to his suggestions, efforts and changes, the town was thriving, the people under his care were happier than ever and it appeared as though he was turning out to be an even better landlord than he ever dreamed possible. After compliments from some of his tenants that he was a better landlord than the late duke, to which the tenant had tried to usher an apology, Simon had laughed in amazement, thanked the farmer for his comments and realised he had kept to one of his vows… to be better than his father. Whilst he knew, or at least thought he was a better man when it came to his wife, and familiar relations to hear it from his tenants had been a wonderous thing.

Lost in these thoughts, that he was truly living now, he heard a knock on the door. “Enter” he replied putting down the last of the ledgers he had in his hands, he had been expecting his butler to come in but was surprised to see that it was “Anthony!” he said with a nod of the head. “this is a surprise. I thought you and Benedict were out. What can I do you for?” he hated that he was so formal with his former best friend, but after their fight in White’s before the Hastings Ball, they had not really made up and whilst they attempted to be friendly for Daphne’s sake, it had been a little strained.

Anthony nodded in response as he walked in and with a hand on the door he replied “Simon. I was hoping to talk to you. Just the two of us” even he sounded so formal and little strained as he replied. Simon nodded his head “Of course. Is this a Whiskey conversation or a tea conversation” he asked with all seriousness. “Whiskey if you do not mind” Anthony replied as he closed the door, took a seat in front of Simon’s large desk, taking a deep breath as though steeling his nerves for something, taking the glass from Simon and taking a large gulp of Whiskey. “So… what did you wish to talk to me about” Simon asked, taking a drink of his own whiskey.

Anthony fidgeted with his glass looking down at the crystal in his hand “I… I wanted to apologise” Simon, who had at that moment had taken another sip of his whiskey choked in surprise. Whatever it was he had been expecting, it surely was not that! “W…what?” he asked coughing “You heard me” Anthony tried to snarl but was slight amused at his old friend choking on his whiskey. “After our fight. I was mad that you had hurt Daph and wanted to protect her” Simon nodded. “I understand”

“I never once thought… blazes it never even crossed my mind that you were hurting as well and for that… well I am sorry” Anthony muttered now draining the last of his glass.

Simon stared at his friend in disbelief “I…thank you.” He sighed “though I must admit, whilst I _was_ hurting. I did deserve it. Daph and I… well considering how at ease we were with each other we are… sorry were… truly shocking at actually talking to one another” Simon said frankly holding out the Whiskey decanter to Anthony and as Anthony held out his glass for a refill Simon decided it was finally time to come clean to his oldest friend.

“whilst we are apologising… I believe I may owe you an explanation and apology also.” He admitted. Anthony cocked his head “Oh? Whatever for….”

Simon drained his glass and put it down before beginning “well… to start with… Daph and I… it was all supposed to be a ruse” Anthony blinked and looked shocked “a ruse?” he asked his brown eyes narrowing in that same protective older brother way Simon had seen so many times before.

“Yes. After she knocked Berbrooke out, I proposed a scheme to fool all of Mayfair… I wanted the attention of the overly ambitious mama’s away from me and thought… it would attract more suitors for Daphne. We were to fain the courtship so everyone would leave me alone and Daphne would find herself a suitor and that vile woman Lady Whistledown would stop writing such scandalous lies about her” Simon said, surprised that he was able to keep his voice calm as he could see anger rising in Anthony

“But…WHY DID EITHER OF YOU NOT TELL ME” he ranted. Simon laughed and raised an eyebrow “Considering how you dealt with Berbrooke in the first place, and Daphne needing to punch him, and you not listening to her feelings… can you blame her?” Anthony paused, that was a fair point “Then why did YOU not tell me? After all you were supposed to be my best friend”

Simon laughed. “the answer is two fold. One, you would have probably killed me knowing full well it was never my intention to marry or tried to stop me and Two, it was a great deal too amusing to me watching your discomfort” Anthony scowled. “But… if it was all ruse what the blazes in hell were you doing in that garden!” he spat.

Simon took a deep steadying breath “I tried to walk away. To let Prince Friedrich have her but I could not. By removing romance from everything, I found something I never realised I was searching for and when I went to that garden that evening, I had tried to say goodbye to her. I swear, I had everything planned and packed to leave. I had told Daph the day before our Ruse was over. She had a prince. I could not go without saying goodbye. I saw the pain in her eyes before she ran off into the garden screaming at me to leave her alone but alas, I was drawn her to like a moth to a flame” Simon stated. “I couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore and just wanted one kiss. Hoping no one would see. But after I pulled away… she pulled me back in and well then… you know the rest”

Anthony sat dumbfounded “then why the blazes had you refused to marry her!! It was clear you had feelings for her, I did not like it, I did not understand it. Hell I still do not but any idiot with eyes could see”

Simon had hoped he wouldn’t ask that but having refilled his glass and taking a swig he said “Daphne wanted a life with children. A love match. I was sure I was not a love match for her and at the time… I was still vowing never to sire a child. Never to have children and never to marry”

Anthony knew this was getting more serious and nodded “I know you never planned to marry but never understood well… why?”

“My… my f..father” Simon coughed and swallowed “was a cruel man, cared more about his lineage than me. As… as a child I had a problem. Lady Danbury helped me through it. I had… hell I still sometime have… problems with speech” he muttered the last word so quietly it had been hard for Anthony to catch it

Anthony looked at his friend with confusion for a moment before thinking, before it dawned on him, hell he had just heard it, “Oh….” He sighed “I am so sorry Simon. I did not realise” meaning he did not require his friend to make himself any more uncomfortable. Simon could see it wasn’t pity on his friends face and just nodded “Not many people know… and so I made a deathbed vow… the line would die with me. It was why I could not. I could not break your sister like that when I knew that was all she wanted from life”

Anthony finally understood “then why the change…?” Simon laughed “Daphne. I will spare you the detail as it is your sister” he smirked slightly “but on our wedding night we talked and realised that we both had strong feelings for one another. Innocence on Daphne’s part, stupidity on both our parts and a lack of honesty on my part, caused a rather large breakdown in communication which caused a rift and problems” he admitted. There was no way Simon was going to explain in detail what had happened. He wasn’t sure how Anthony would have taken ANY of it.

“We had planned to separate” Simon admitted staring at his fingers “WHAT”? Anthony bellowed “After the ball. We thought… it was for the best…” Anthony went to interrupt “BUT… during that last dance… we both realised that we could not be without each other, I desperately did not want to leave but… I did not know how. Standing there in the rain Daph… she told me she loved me. Flaws and all. Left me standing there in the rain and I realised, I wanted to be happy. I wanted to be with her and to make her happy. That I love her with every fibre of my being and despite the terror I feel at the thought of childbirth, after losing my own mother to it, and the fear it would turn out like me…” Simon blushed at this admission “I could not leave. I would not leave her. I want a future with her and children. We talked the next morning and vowed to be better. To love one another each and every day” Simon finished and Anthony just looked gobsmacked.

“Bloody blazes in hell.. you really do love her” Anthony laughed as Simon nodded “I never thought anyone would actually deserve my sister but it appears I have been overruled” Anthony admitted and smirked at the shocked look on Simon’s face “You really do deserve her. Just… do not fuck it up this time. Or next time I wont be so gentle with my punches, and my shot would not miss the next time” Simon laughed hard at this.

“Oh Anthony. I really do hope you find someone as stubborn and obstinate as you to marry” both friends sat and laughed before Anthony stood up and offered his hand to his friend “Daphne will be pleased we are friends again… Brother” Anthony added with the laugh as Simon stood and shook his hand “Brother indeed” Anthony bowed his head before walking out of the room. “just do me a favour… no more talk of Grounsilling with my sister in front of me please!”

Simon roared “that was Benedict’s fault not mine” as Anthony left the room with a wave of his hand

He had not got 5 paces down the room when Simon heard him greet Daphne, two seconds later she appeared around the door “He is in the most cheerful of moods… it is most peculiar” she quipped “Jeffries had told me Anthony had come to see you and I thought I should come rescue you” she reached her husband and sat neatly upon his lap “You two have not been arguing again have you?” she asked “you really ought to make up, he is your oldest friend… and my bro….”she did not finish her sentence as Simon had claimed her lips in a kiss “You talk too much sometimes my dear” he laughed as she scowled. “He had in fact… come to apologise.” Daphne looked shocked and held a hand to her heart “My word did he really… has the Thames turned to blood” she laughed as Simon laughed “in fact we both did. We apologised for our oafish behaviour towards one another… and I told him about our ruse”

Daphne looked affronted “You did not” Simon nodded “I did… and some of my father. He seemed to understand quite quickly, but provided I do not hurt you again… and no more mentions of Grounsilling in front of him” he smirked rubbing his nose against hers “we are to be friends again. In fact…he even called me Brother” Daphne looked shocked but pleased as she placed a kiss upon her husbands lips “Oh I am pleased. It can’t do having my husband and oldest brother at odds all the time. I was considering locking you both in a room until you both talked” she laughed,

Simon smiled pulling his wife close to him knowing full well she would have done just that, “How much time do we have before luncheon” he asked “around 30 minutes” she replied “Good” he smirked and swept her off her feet and carried her off to their chambers “Just don’t mention anything to your brother” they laughed as they closed the door… and promptly were late for luncheon grinning widely as they entered the room, both flushed from their activities, much to Anthony’s obvious annoyance.

**Author's Note:**

> I do struggle to write men sometimes but I hope I have done these justice.
> 
> I feel like these two needed to clear the air for Daphne since they both love her so much and she couldn’t bare them fightening
> 
> I added a little Snippet about the Viscount who loved me and some possible future fics.


End file.
